Volleyball Returns Home From Purple Raider With 7-5
September 14, 2013
The Case Western Reserve University volleyball team continued to demonstrate outstanding play to open up the second day of the Purple Raider Classic hosted by Mount Union University. The ladies faced off against Kalamazoo College, hoping to put together another win after last night’s victory against Transylvania University. The Spartans were dominant, winning in four sets with scores of 25-12 and 25-18 in the first two sets. The Kalamazoo squad fought back to win the third set 27-29 before the Spartans closed out the match with a decisive 25-9 victory.
Several ladies stepped up with great playing in this match including junior Natalie Southard and sophomore Haley Kauffman on offense delivering 12 and 13 kills, respectively. Freshman Lauren Gurd helped out with 45 assists and on the defensive side, several players pitched in with sophomore Katie Best and freshmen Kristen Mitchell and Shannon Chua providing a total of 49 digs in this match. The Spartans will look to continue their winning streak against Hanover College later today.
The Spartans finished their weekend at the Purple Raider Classic with a perfect record, beating Hanover College in three straight sets to close out the tournament. The Spartans played at a high level throughout the entire match, taking the lead in the first few minutes and keeping it during each of the following sets. The ladies won the first two sets with scores of 25-18 and 25-13 and continued to play well despite a late run by the Hanover team to try to push a fourth set. They edged out the Hanover squad in the third set with a score of 25-21 to sweep the match and the tournament.
Junior Natalie Southard continued to show dominant play at the net with 12 kills bringing her weekend total to 38. Sophomore Lauren Gurd contributed heavily earning her second double-double on the season with 23 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Katie Best also shone on defense, providing 15 digs to the team total of 55 during this match.
The Spartans will return home next Tuesday to host their next opponent, Heidelberg University.